Table 1.
Population characteristics (overall and stratified), for having a procalcitonin at a baseline above the cut-off value.
| Total n = 569 |
PCT below Cut-Off n = 506 |
PCT above Cut-Off n = 63 |
p Value | No Infection n = 525 |
Infection n = 44 |
p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at baseline, mean ± sd | 69.37 ± 13.80 | 68.47 ± 13.71 | 76.59 ± 12.36 | <0.001 | 68.85 ± 13.70 | 75.56 ± 13.57 | 0.002 |
| BMI—Kg/mq, median (IQR) | 26.12 (23.78–29.35) | 26.26 (24.02–29.38) | 24.91 (22.56–27.4) | 0.009 | 26.12 (23.96–29.06) | 25.93 (22.89–30.47) | 0.55 |
| Female sex, n (%) | 170 (30) | 145 (29) | 25 (40) | 0.071 | 150 (29) | 20 (45) | 0.019 |
| History | |||||||
| Smoking habit, n (%) | 310 (55) | 285 (57) | 25 (42) | 0.023 | 297 (57) | 13 (31) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 377 (67) | 330 (65) | 47 (76) | 0.10 | 344 (66) | 33 (77) | 0.14 |
| Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 270 (49) | 240 (49) | 30 (51) | 0.76 | 250 (49) | 20 (49) | 0.98 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 155 (27) | 126 (25) | 29 (46) | <0.001 | 140 (27) | 15 (34) | 0.29 |
| CKD, n (%) | 70 (51) | 47 (47) | 23 (62) | 0.11 | 56 (49) | 14 (61) | 0.30 |
| Baseline characteristics | |||||||
| Heart rate, mean ± sd | 83.95 ± 23.13 | 81.78 ± 21.85 | 101.61 ± 25.76 | <0.001 | 83.29 ± 22.50 | 91.73 ± 28.78 | 0.020 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean ± sd | 138.25 ± 28.30 | 139.36 ± 28.09 | 129.07 ± 28.60 | 0.007 | 139.28 ± 28.03 | 126.09 ± 28.91 | 0.003 |
| Cath lab | |||||||
| ST-elevation, n (%) | 309 (54) | 286 (57) | 23 (37) | 0.003 | 289 (55) | 20 (45) | 0.22 |
| Coronary angiography, n (%) | 564 (99) | 505 (100) | 59 (94) | <0.001 | 523 (99) | 41 (93) | <0.001 |
| Percutaneous coronary intervention | 458 (80) | 413 (82) | 45 (71) | 0.054 | 427 (81) | 31 (70) | 0.08 |
| Heart failure after admission, n (%) | 46 (8) | 30 (6) | 16 (25) | <0.001 | 35 (7) | 11 (25) | <0.001 |
| Laboratory | |||||||
| White blood cells—×103/mmc, median (IQR) | 10.32 (8.00–12.93) | 10.04 (7.88–12.37) | 13.80 (10.77–16.74) | <0.001 | 10.29 (7.89–12.71) | 10.92 (8.61–15.98) | 0.058 |
| Hemoglobin—g/dL, mean ± sd | 13.31 ± 2.14 | 13.45 ± 2.06 | 12.22 ± 2.47 | <0.001 | 13.42 ± 2.09 | 12.03 ± 2.37 | <0.001 |
| Platelets—×103/mmc, mean ± sd | 238.70 ± 80.27 | 234.98 ± 74.39 | 268.73 ± 113.95 | 0.002 | 238.71 ± 79.80 | 238.56 ± 86.86 | 0.99 |
| eGFR—mL/min, mean ± sd | 72.69 ± 26.56 | 75.64 ± 25.00 | 48.78 ± 26.94 | <0.001 | 73.93 ± 26.29 | 56.94 ± 25.17 | <0.001 |
| Hs troponin peak ng/L, median (IQR) | 6000.00 (1061.00–25,868.00) | 6712.00 (1061.00–27,398.0) | 3806.50 (443.00–22,017.00) | 0.17 | 6191.50 (1065.00–26,325.00) | 4593.00 (220.00–19,575.00) | 0.23 |
| PCT at baseline above cutoff, n (%) | 63 (11) | -- | -- | -- | 47 (9) | 16 (36) | <0.001 |
| PCT ng/mL, median (IQR) | -- | -- | -- | -- | 0.05 (0.02–0.12) | 0.16 (0.04–1.40) | <0.001 |
PCT—procalcitonin; BMI—body mass index; CAD—coronary artery disease; AF—atrial fibrillation; CKD—chronic kidney disease; PCI—percutaneous coronary intervention; AV—atrio-ventricular; eGFR—estimated glomerular filtration rate; Hs—high sensitivity.